


Toxic like Crackships and Power Plays.

by im_ashamed



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Typical Violence, F/M, First Meeting, team crm(n)e, team crme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 19:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7696984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_ashamed/pseuds/im_ashamed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mercury Black likes nothing and fears nothing.<br/>He's about to learn how to do both at once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toxic like Crackships and Power Plays.

They’re on the back of a truck. Emerald asked if the big, burly woman driving it wouldn’t mind three sweet girls taking up the back. Her eyes flicked over them and Mercury isn’t sure what she saw, but her mouth softened and now they’re balanced precariously on sacks of grain, Emerald’s boots resting against the softer fabric of a bag of apples.

All the driver asked was that they watch out and make sure those don’t get bruised. They may be little shits, but why be nastier than they have to be? Never gets them anywhere.

  
Mercury looks from Emerald to Cinder and back again. They’re both beautiful, especially since regular meals have filled them out. He never mentions it, because why be stupid, but he appreciates it. It’s like the big guy’s winking at him. 

  
“So what’s Roman got to show us that’s so special?” He says, and does not flinch when Cinder glares at him. There isn’t enough heat in it to warrant a cowering.

  
“He wanted it to be a surprise.” She says, and her tone goes a long way in explaining what she promised to do to him if he left it that way.

 Mercury waits.

  
“Muscle.” Emerald grunts. Cinder’s gaze snaps to her and Emerald can’t steel herself against it. “What?” She whines, like a brat. “Why—“ She breaks off. She’s been restless lately. She doesn’t like Roman. No, Mercury knows, she doesn’t like the way Roman looks at Cinder. And boy does she burn when Cinder touches him. 

  
Cinder rolls her eyes. “It’s probably not even worth the trip.”

“Then why are we going?”

  
Now Cinder turns the brunt of her gaze on him. He fidgets, a dog showing it’s neck.

Cinder tries to project an aura like a slender shot gun with a gilded grip, but as dark and sexy as that is, if it’s protecting you instead of pointed at you for long enough the edge can wear off. 

  
Still. She won’t let them forget who’s boss. 

  
They jump off the back of the truck as soon as they’re within walking distance of the meeting spot. Mercury wonders about the driver as they walk. Where she’s headed, why, what’s waiting for her at the other end. Part of him hopes it’s  better than this as the three of them descend into a hot, smoky bar. It’s half underground, but it’s the kind of place where no one would open a window if they could. There’s probably an illegal transaction going on at every table they pass. 

  
The back room is cooler and Mercury lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Roman is waiting, sitting in an overstuffed armchair and smiling like the muck in his bowl is canary a la king. 

  
“Still playing with the kids, Cinder?”

  
“What’s a good queen without her entourage?” Cinder replies, voice light.

  
Roman drains whatever was in the bowl and tosses it onto the little table beside him. Mercury figures he’s either older than he looks, or he thinks he and Emerald are younger. His attitude pisses him off anyway, but he keeps his mouth shut.

  
Roman snaps his fingers and a girl appears. Straight out of the ether. High heeled boots, neatly coiffed hair, and steampunk vest. She’s so well turned out Mercury could believe she’s once of Emerald’s illusions. Roman stands and Mercury lets a chuckle slip from his lips.

  
“You sure this is the muscle you were talking about? Or is it that kid of yours you keep bringing up?” Saying it he can imagine a resemblance. Then again, it could just be the outfit. 

  
Roman’s lip curls. He looks to Cinder for support but she crosses her arms and leans back, tilting slightly towards Mercury. Translation? ‘What he said.’

  
“Listen,” Roman begins. The girl disappears. 

  
Next thing Mercury knows he’s on the ground, his skull throbbing so bad he doesn’t even try to get back up. 

  
“Cinder!” Emerald screams. Something hits the wall by Mercury’s feet and it quakes with the impact. He waits. If he isn’t dead yet he has the time.

  
Heavy breathing. Then, 

  
“Where’d you come from?” Cinder asks, putting just enough seduction on ‘you’ that Merc knows she’s frightened. Not that she would admit that is an accurate word for it. ‘Off balance’, perhaps.

  
“I found her.” Roman says. “She doesn’t talk, but who cares when she can take orders like this.”

  
Mercury can hear his huge grin and it makes him angry enough to get back up. He has his hands tensed against the ground, ready to push, when a face comes into view.

  
In the low light he hadn’t realized her eyes were two different colors. Cinder and Emerald are beautiful, but she is something he can’t package as quickly. He wants to keep looking at her, take to the time to consider her snub nose and tiny, scrunched up lips.

  
“You know you look like an ice cream cone?” He asks.

  
Her eyes widen and her lips part a fraction. Mercury leaps to his feet, but the image is stuck in his head now. She looked so…

  
“You’re close, kid. We’ve all been calling her Neapolitan.”

  
Emerald snorts. “That’s not a name.”

  
Neapolitan holds up her hand and makes three distinct gestures. The last one looks like a circle so Mercury takes a wild guess. 

  
“You want us to call you Neo?”

  
She nods. Cinder and Emerald turn back to Roman to discuss what Neo could be most useful as. They miss the way her smile glints in the dim light. It’s okay. It wasn’t meant for them. Mercury knows that. He also knows he’s about to get a crash course in sign language, pun definitely intended. It starts excitement buzzing in his chest, and he smiles back. 

 


End file.
